Wildschutt elevates to No. 9 all-time globally at 12:56.76, with Young becoming first collegiate athlete and fourth American competitor to eclipse 13-minute barrier by running 12:57.14 to ascend to No. 12 in history; Kurgat wins his 5,000 heat in 12:57.52 for No. 13 in world, with Sahlman prevailing in mile in 3:53.17 and Rowe earning 3,000 victory in 7:38.35

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by David Hicks

Nico Young achieved the collegiate indoor 5,000-meter record Friday at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, but it was another former collegiate standout who upstaged the Northern Arizona star with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the men’s White Heat at the Track and Tennis Center at Boston University.

Adrian Wildschutt, an All-American at Florida State now competing professionally for HOKA Northern Arizona Elite and representing South Africa, covered the final 400 meters with a 57.43-second split to smash his own national record and triumph in 12:56.76.

Young became the first collegiate athlete and only the fourth American competitor to eclipse the 13-minute barrier indoors, closing in 58 seconds to run 12:57.14.

RESULTS | MEN'S RACE PHOTOS by David Hicks

Young lowered the collegiate record 13:03.78 established Dec. 2 by Harvard’s Graham Blanks at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener at Boston University.

Young ran 7:37.73 in the 3,000 in December in Boston to elevate to the No. 3 all-time collegiate indoor competitor, then achieved a 3:57.33 mile performance Jan. 18 near 7,000 feet elevation – the best all-time mile effort by an American athlete at such high altitude – at the Lumberjack Team Challenge on the 300-meter flat track at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.

Wildschutt had clocked 13:09.30 in 2022 at Boston University, but ascended to the No. 9 all-time global competitor Friday, with Young elevating to No. 12 in the world.

Edwin Kurgat, a Kenyan competitor representing Under Armour Dark Sky Distance, was victorious in the Scarlet Heat in 12:57.52, improving to No. 13 all-time globally.

British athlete George Mills just missed taking down Marc Scott’s national record, placing second behind Kurgat in 12:58.68.

Sam Atkin, another British competitor, clocked 12:58.73 in the White Heat to take third behind Wildschutt and Young.

Only 11 athletes had eclipsed the 13-minute mark before Friday, with the list increasing to 16 overall following the two marquee races.

Yared Nuguse of On Athletics Club finished third in the Scarlet Heat in 13:02.09, followed by teammate Geordie Beamish of New Zealand in 13:04.33, Canadian competitor Ben Flanagan placing fifth in 13:04.62 and American athlete Joe Klecker securing sixth in 13:06.02.

Morgan McDonald of Australia, also representing On Athletics Club, was seventh in 13:07.30, Dutch competitor Mike Foppen earned eighth in 13:08.60 and Olin Hacker from HOKA Northern Arizona Elite took ninth in the Scarlet Heat in 13:08.76.

Abdihamid Nur, a Nike professional, finished fourth in the White Heat in 13:03.17, John Heymans of Belgium grabbing fifth in 13:03.46 and adidas competitor Morgan Beadlescomb taking sixth in 13:03.57.

Young’s record-setting effort wasn’t the only highlight Friday for Northern Arizona, with Colin Sahlman rallying with a 27.27-second split on the final lap to win the men’s mile in 3:53.17, the No. 10 all-time collegiate performance on a 200-meter banked track.

Sahlman also returned to win his section in the 3,000 in 7:59.27 later in the evening.

Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, a Canadian professional representing New Balance, led the mile entering the final lap, but placed second in 3:53.41.

Craig Engels, competing for Nike, took third in 3:54.03, Dutch athlete Noah Baltus ran 3:54.81 and Brigham Young’s Lucas Bons clocked 3:54.82 to ascend to the No. 19 all-time collegiate competitor on a 200-meter banked track.

Isaac Updike (3:55.17), Yohanes Asmare (3:55.96), Paul Robinson (3:57.11), Istvan Szogi (3:57.21), Shane Bracken (3:58.58), Kevin Robertson (3:58.70) and Matthew Beaudet (3:59.21) made it 12 competitors in the top heat to produce sub-4 performances.

Another eight athletes in the second section also eclipsed the 4-minute mark, including Boston College’s Steven Jackson prevailing in 3:56.37, Matthew Wilkinson of Under Armour Dark Sky Distance clocking 3:57.25 and Northern Arizona’s Kang Nyoak taking third in 3:57.31.

Jack Rowe of Great Britain and Amon Kemboi from Kenya, both representing PUMA Elite Running Team, took the top two spots in the men’s 3,000 in 7:38.35 and 7:38.99, respectively.

Anass Essayi of South Carolina, representing Morocco, improved to the No. 8 all-time collegiate competitor on a 200-meter banked track with his 7:39.11 effort. Essayi improved from running 7:41.93 at The Armory in New York last season.

Ian Shanklin (7:41.68), Travis Mahoney (7:42.36) and Kenneth Rooks (7:42.37) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Tennessee’s Yaseen Abdalla secured seventh in 7:42.63, just off his personal-best 7:42.23 that ranks No. 11 all-time among collegiate athletes. Florida State’s David Mullarkey clocked 7:42.89 to ascend to the No. 16 performer on a 200-meter banked track in collegiate history, with BYU’s Aidan Troutner running 7:44.16 and Dan Schaffer from ZAP Endurance finishing 10th in 7:52.93.

Tennessee’s Gabriel Sanchez held off Syracuse’s Perry Mackinnon in the second section by a 7:54.36 to 7:54.75 margin, with Stanford freshman Leo Young taking third in 7:55.36.

Army’s Luke Griner edged Texas’ Cole Lindhorst by a 1:47.47 to 1:47.49 margin in the men’s 800.

Harvard’s Ferenc Kovacs triumphed in 2:21.38 in the men’s 1,000, followed by Rhode Island’s Collin Ochs in 2:21.57 and former Youngstown State competitor Sean Peterson taking third in 2:21.80.

In the lone women’s distance event on Friday’s schedule, Florida State prevailed in the distance medley relay, with Emily Brown, Ava Klein, Suus Altorf and Bieke Schipperen running 11:22.41.